Page 16 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

‘Yeah, it’s not bad.’

‘The scenery must be amazing.’

‘Yeah, that’s not bad either, though it’s very touristy around here.’

‘But it’s still Gran Canaria. In the sunshine.’

‘True, but don’t forget that I’m working, Cait. I’m not here on holiday. I’m here for work, and we’ve been really busy.’

‘We?’

‘Me and Chiara. I told you she was coming too.’

‘Did you?’

Caitlin couldn’t remember Stuart mentioning that the young trainee in his office was going to the conference with him, but she’d been so thrown by his latest bombshell that she hadn’t taken much in at all.

‘I did. So, is Maisie all right?’

‘She’s…just Maisie. You know what she’s like. She’s bored, though she doesn’t appear to be missing school, unfortunately. You could always give her a ring, for a chat. You haven’t called her for a while…Or me,’ Caitlin added quietly.

Stuart ignored her aside. ‘I was going to call Maisie but I’m not sure what you’ve told her about, you know…’

‘About you gambling away our house?’

There was a sharp intake of breath, from three and a half thousand miles away.

‘Keep your voice down, Cait. Where are you? Can anyone hear you?’

Caitlin looked across the deserted beach, to the surging waves which were fading in the thickening mist.

‘No one can hear me. I’m deliberately standing on my own in the freezing cold so I won’t be overheard. So tell me, what’s happening about the house, Stuart?’

‘It’s all in hand and you don’t need to worry.’

‘That’s all very well you saying that, but of course I’m worried if we’re about to be homeless. Where are we going to live? Rents in London are sky high. And what effect will losing our home have on Maisie? She’s already suspended from school for that stupid practical joke.’

‘Which is why I don’t want you to tell her. Not yet, she might never need to know because I’ve got plans in hand to get us out of this mess.’

Caitlin sighed quietly. ‘That doesn’t fill me with confidence because it was your plans that got us into this mess in the first place.’

‘And this is why I haven’t called you for a few days.’ Stuart sounded mortally aggrieved. ‘You’re being very judgemental about something that’s not my fault.’

Caitlin answered in as calm a voice as she could muster. ‘I’m not being judgemental. I understand that gambling can become addictive, and that’s why I found some potential help and support for you. Have you called any of those numbers that I gave you?’

‘Not yet. I’ve been so busy with this conference, and calling from over here isn’t a great idea. But I will as soon as I get back. I promise.’

‘You’ve had the numbers for a while.’

‘And, like I said, I’ll call once I get back home.’ If they still had a home for him to get back to, thought Caitlin, but she bit her lip and said nothing. ‘And I’m going to speak to my boss about a pay rise and to the bank about a loan, so I’m sure we won’t lose our house. I was just being over-dramatic when I told you that. Honestly, Cait, you just need to trust me for a little bit longer. Can you do that, sweetheart? I love you.’

Did he? Caitlin wondered. He’d been distant and grumpy for ages. So much so, she’d begun to think they might be happier apart. But then she’d discovered his gambling habit and he’d got upset and said he was sorry, and she’d known that she could never leave him. Not when he was vulnerable and in need of support. She’d abandoned people who needed her before, and she couldn’t bear to do it again. Stuart had lied to her about the amount of money he’d lost. That was distressing. But it was also a symptom of his addiction so she would have to put up with it and stay.

‘Can you at least let me know what’s going on, please?’ she asked. ‘I’m on tenterhooks, wondering what’s happening and whether our house is safe or not.’

‘I will, but you need to chill out, Cait. You’re being a bit doom and gloom about all of this when it hasn’t even happened yet and probably never will. Something always comes up.’

Until it doesn’t, thought Caitlin. She immediately castigated herself for being pessimistic. Stuart’s overly optimistic view on life might be unrealistic, but it did help to lessen his anxiety. Whereas every day recently she’d woken up with her insides churning and a question running on a loop through her mind: What happens when we lose our home? When, she noticed. Rather than if.

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